I am posting information gleaned from land records in the areas where our family’s ancestors resided. You can read more about this project in the overview. You may also check my deed record listing, which I will update frequently, but probably not every day. This group pertain to Papa’s Fenton ancestors who resided in Wexford County, Michigan.

These deeds are recorded on consecutive pages, are the documents that complete the purchase of the two 80 acre pieces of land owned by Ross Fenton in Section 17, Colfax Township. I described one deed related to the property several weeks ago .

Date:

16 November 1926

Liber:

114

Page:

227

Location:

Wexford County, MI

Grantor:

Joseph Murphy & Kate Murphy his wife of Cadillac, MI

Grantee:

Ross Fenton of Manton, MI

Witnesses:

Henry Knowlton, E.F. Parker

Type of deed:

Warranty

Rec’d and recording:

21 March 1927

Clerk/registrar:

Johnson

Location of land:

Colfax, Wexford, MI

Consideration:

$150

Notes:

Deed conveyed to complete the terms of a land contract between Murphy & Dig gins & Wm. A. Jenkins dated 10 Jan 1921. Contract assigned to Wm. A. Jenkins, then on 18 Nov 1926 to Ernest F. Parker, and from Ernest F. Parker to Ross Fenton on 18 Nov 1926 by assignment. Taxes on first description 1920 & subsequent and on second description 1921 and subsequent years.

Description:

An undivided 1/2 interest in: the E1/2 of the NE 1/4, and the E 1/2 of the SE 1/4 all in Section 17, T23N R10W

Date:

18 November 1926

Liber:

114

Page:

228

Location:

Kent County, MI

Grantor:

Dorothy Thomson of Grand Rapids, MI

Grantee:

Ross Fenton of Manton, MI

Witnesses:

Gertrude Klein, Emma Anderson

Type of deed:

Warranty

Rec’d and recording:

21 March 1927

Clerk/registrar:

Johnson

Location of land:

Colfax, Wexford, MI

Consideration:

?

Notes:

Deed conveyed to complete the terms of a land contract between Murphy & Dig gins & Wm. A. Jenkins dated 10 Jan 1921. Contract assigned to Wm. A. Jenkins, then on 18 Nov 1926 to Ernest F. Parker, and from Ernest F. Parker to Ross Fenton on 18 Nov 1926 by assignment. Taxes on first description 1920 & subsequent and on second description 1921 and subsequent years.

Description:

And undivided 1/4 interest in: the E1/2 of the NE 1/4, and the E 1/2 of the SE 1/4 all in Section 17, T23N R10W

OK, a land contract was the original sale mechanism for the two eighty acre pieces of land, and William Jenkins was the original purchaser. Then the contract was sold to Ernest F. Parker, then to Papa’s grandfather, Ross Fenton. When Ross paid the taxes on the land and had that payment recorded (liber 100, page 342) it was part of his responsibility under the land contract, not because he was behind on the taxes. Since these deeds represent a total of 3/4 interest in the property, there is probably another deed somewhere under which Ross Fenton acquired the other 1/4 interest.

In order to get the complete detail of the transfer of the two 80 acre pieces, it would be necessary to do quite a bit more digging, since records in the names of Jenkins and Parker would need to be examined. The two 80 acre pieces of land are outlined in blue on this illustration, which I made using the old 1908 Atlas1.

Geo. A. Ogle & Co., Standard atlas of Wexford County, Michigan : including a plat book of the villages, cities and townships of the county…patrons directory, reference business directory…/ assisted in record work and platting by E. A. Losie. Geo. A. Ogle & Co. (Chicago, IL : Geo. A. Ogle & Co., 1908), page 45, The University of Michigan. Michigan County Histories and Atlases. http://name.umdl.umich.edu/3928168.0001.001 : accessed 2 November 2009.